Black Lagoon

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Orihime was uncertain why they were being folloed, they just were and the feeling of the planet itself she was not looking at many of the things. THey had developed some of the things but this world was still calming so getting paniced within this would not be easy. She was still going up and through the mountains as she spoke. "I am uncertain, when we stop it might catch up on us and we'll be able to see but that can be dangerous if we are not prepared." She liked the idea of knowing what they were dealing with but there was also the chance it was some twi hundred foot tall monster with skin that could deflect a turbolaser blast..... against two of them that wasn't exactly a welcoming prospect when they didn't even have a turbolaser. Orihime checked her senses in the force though as she was feeling it and it was slippery but there when she could feel the air change and they were climbing up into the mountains.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

As they ascended the mountain, Sorel did her best to ascertain what was following them – but at their present pace and the creature’s distance – she was unable to provide any more information on what it might be.

“Logic says it won’t be too big. I’ve yet to see any big game and anything bigger than say a Bantha would need to eat a lot of food to survive. Not that something even a little smaller than a Bantha would be easy to face. But it puts the risk into perspective. Sort of.”

“Anyhow, there’s two of us, so we can take care of ourselves, right?” There was a small amount of hope in her voice, as opposed to complete confidence. But they’d done alright so far.

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

"Of course we can." Orihime said it with a grin on her face when she brought up a small screen. "We have a ways to go still but we will have it leading the way up the mountain." She was driving the jeep up and letting the time pass as it changed more. GOing to some snow covered ground that she could drive through and get them all passed away until she was looking in the distance and the area ahead when she had the light was pitch black. The lights going down into the canyon with more snow starting to fall where she could see it. The grey metal structure was there off to the side and looking down towards the canyon in front of it where the base showed. She was wondering about what it might look like in the morning but for now a thick snowfall before she was opening the motor pool area that wasn't working but she could get the doors opened. She motioned for Sorel to bring the jeep in and was looking out with force sight to see out.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

The presence faltered and then blinked out. Sorel wondered if it had given up the chase or was simply being left behind. She sensed for as far as her still limited skills allowed and having found nothing, put the threat to the back of her mind and took in the new terrain. They must have reached some altitude, as snow was now on the ground. And more was falling from the sky – which due to the lack of technology out here – was pitch black. If there were no clouds it would have been a sky filled with bright stars but instead she knew the lack of light was due to significant cloud cover. And it not only blocked out the light but muffled sound – something the snow only enhanced.

And then they saw the building they were heading for. It was a cold grey structure and Orihime managed to open the doors for the jeep to enter and left Sorel to drive into the compound and park up. If they could close the doors, it should limit the likelihood of whatever was following pursuing them any further.

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

She was looking at it and the doors as Sorel went through them she started putting down as well as could be, there was a lot of snow as it was falling and she dug some more of the glow rods out of the equipment pack to set up so they would be able to see. The circlet she was happy of for the snow though as inside the facility there wasn't much to see. Some small sections on a map and view ports of glass that were frosted over looking out at nothing. "Lets hope there is some form of power, maybe we can hook up one fo the gincho generators to it." She was curious if it would be possible for them to do while walking around and debating what might be out there as the place felt strange and slippery almost. "I think there might be some things here." She wasn't certain and they had been near the ocean, had seen the signs of the sea creature so life was on the world there had to be something maybe.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel shivered. It was nothing to do with the cold but instead a feeling. It was a cold and dark habitation, devoid of life, which in itself made it an unwelcoming place. But it was the prospect that some life might yet be here that made it most uncomfortable. There was always something strange and foreboding about a building being occupied by something other than its intended users. It always felt malevolent and invasive. Not that she denied any species the right to life, it was just that typically the new owners were there at the direct expense of the former inhabitants.

“We need to watch our footing – and, as the old saying has it – I have a bad feeling about this.”

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Orihime looked at Sorel with the pale orange glow from her light and gave a frown. "Oh come on now, have the places in the galaxy are dangerous and the other half worse then that. It is all about what you are able to do with it and as my mother has said exploring is easy it is what you do with what you find that is hard." She knew a lot of artifacts that had been found were suddenly out and about in the galaxy, taken from the vaults by others who dind't respect them or the work that went into finding them but she could handle that and be alright with it. She was walking and the halls were barren and sterile nearly compared to many which provided them with a lot of work on all of it. She opened a door and it looked in on a barracks like area with bunks on the sides of the room. There was not much in the way of anything showing people in there or that there had been anything. "It looks like they had cleaned it before whatever happened."

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel nodded. “Yes, I accept that the exploring is the fun part and the easy part. But I know we respect our finds and look to put them to good use and not ever for personal gain. So I suspect it’s better that it’s us here now and not some scavengers who are only in it for themselves.”

“Mind you, there doesn’t seem to be a lot to take. It definitely looks as though their exit was planned and meticulous. Makes me wonder if we’ll find anything.”

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

She looked at it with a nod of her head to the explanation and ideas. Getting a small look on her face though while she was walking and learning the language of the planet was a nice thing in the long run, it let them know what they were looking at thankfully when she started going over some of the directions. "Main labs, mine, sun room, control room, security, bathrooms." She was going over it while making mental notes and the mines were where they had been doing something but there were labs here. Places to test different things they might have found maybe... Orihime was going and the sterile clean barracks here for people gave way to thick heavy doors she could see and there was more to it as the doors opened. The artificial light coming to her with a hiss when she felt an almost vacuumed effect standing there. "Did you turn on the lights?" She was looking around and it was bright, the lights in the walls humming from the use but she could feel something more now with the doors opened. The vibrations and the sounds of machinery deep down inside.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

The feeling of unease never left her and despite good-natured ribbing from Orihime, they both knew that a warning from the Force should never, ever be disregarded.

On the face of it, their usual senses gave no indication of danger. Unless boredom and emptiness was a cause for concern. The place was deserted and looked to have been evacuated some time ago. The fact the doors were closed and pristine suggested no creatures were on the loose – which was another reason to be more at ease. But Sorel could not bring herself to be relaxed.

As they ticked off a mental list of locations, the facilities seemed less and less foreboding until they passed the barracks and through the heavy doors beyond. Darkness gave way to bright light, which set off even non-Jedi alarm bells and the sound of machinery only compounded the sensation.

“Maybe it’s automated? Some mechanical digger set on auto-pilot? Or maybe an area of the facilities that didn’t get closed down? Or shouldn’t – like a generator for example?”

She sighed. “I guess there’s only one way to find out for sure.”

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

She had to agre, there were in theory and logic a dozen things that could be part of why there was still power and it didn't have to be something sinister, didn't have to be something. "Yeah something automated, maybe a generator." She was unsure but there was power which meant there ight be other things going in and the hallway opened into a large lab that was showing terminals. Everything looked sterile before she could see it, not facing the way they had seen the pit but the other way deeper into a cave cavern that they were observing and she looked over it. Rushing down to see the ship itself or what was left at it when she could barely make it out. "They were looking at something." She couldn't tell what it was right away but it looked like an old ship that had crashed and there was an area of snow appearing to the far side in the light. "It must have impacted here and they build this to conceal it maybe, study it ut doesn't look like they were removing it."

 

[Sorel Crieff]

A feeling of concern soon gave way to one of intrigue. On the face of it, it was a conundrum. Did the ship crash into the facility – or was the facility built to hide the ship. If the latter, did it crash here or was it brought to the spot. If the former, what were the odds of hitting this place given how remote it was.

Regardless of the solution, Sorel had but one thought in mind. The ship needed to be investigated. It was a puzzle and whichever solution you put into play, it was clearly important – as opposed to being some random side-show of the tour.

“Any idea of its origin?” Sorel knew modern ships – well at least ones that dated from Imperial times, given they were still serviceable and flown. But this was unfamiliar to her – and she knew Orihime was knowledgeable in many things technological. “I mean, from what we’ve seen this does not appear to have come from this planet, does it?”

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

She was looking at her and seeing it, there was a look on her face while she trying to find the information. "The ships origin is... from the stars, it looks like according to the information the ship crashed into the mountain and the pilots died on impact but the ship was found and they couldn't recover it. The reactor that was powering the ship was damaged so they built this facility to siphon the energy of the small sun that was powering their ship. It has been used and replicated in this facility but the majority of information stops after that." She couldn't find more logs that were not damaged but if they were working on replicating the technology then the ships reactor if they made one or more cold be used to power it here. "Siphoning energy from the sun though there is not a lot of technology I have seen that can do that but if they were using that ore it could exponentially improve the output."

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel always kept an open mind – in fact she was almost proud of the fact (if pride were not akin to a vice in the eyes of the Jedi) – but every now and then she would come across something new that would simply blow her mind.

And she was looking at it right now. Not the ship, but the technology. And, in turn, the approach of the locals in harnessing that technology – effectively building this facility around the ship. And the opening around the ship was now apparent. It needed to be fed by the sun – and so being indoors was not an option. At least not entirely.

It was the case that time was not necessarily an indicator of technological improvements. They knew of ancient races with the ability to traverse the galaxy in the blink of an eye – something not possible even with today’s best scientific minds working on the topic. And she was aware of solar power but not to this efficiency. An entire fleet of ships that never had to be refuelled? That produced zero emissions? What could be better. Of course, there was no guarantee that even with the ship, they would be able to replicate the feat. But with the ore at hand, they might have a good try.

“If we could find any research, that could only help, right?”

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Orihime nodded her head. "If we could find research notes about the information and how they were doing it we might be able to. No one really knows how to harvest suns even reactors for it. Not many species or groups wihtin the galaxy have tried it." THough she knew the solar ionization reactors were considered mni suns to power starships. If they could make that then a way to more effectively use the energy that they produce and then increase it with the sleg would prove far more impressive before she tapped her hands on a couple of the things. "Looks like they were starting to but there isn't much else, based on what information on solar reactors there is we know they can last for a very long time. They are mini suns for star destroyers and the empires have always been the first for some advanements. They might be evil but somethings that they are able to do is able to be beneficial... It is just what comes afterwards." Build a new reactor, a way to give power to everyone... and that is good. Use it to power a super weapon cannon.... bad.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel nodded her agreement as Orihime spoke. “Maybe the scientists can take a look at it and try to fathom its inner workings. Or maybe we can put it in an existing ship and see how long it lasts!” Sorel raised an eyebrow at the second suggestion. “I mean, if the alternative is just leaving it here, what purpose would that serve?”

“My concern is one you know for a fact I’ll raise. Even in the hands of the good guys, this technology has the unfortunate potential to be used for bad. In many ways it might be better that nobody has access to it in case it does indeed fall into the wrong hands.”

“What do you think?”

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

That was a danger that had to be done but if everything that was being worked on that could be used for evil or bad things was not looked at then there would be a lot of advancements that were not made. "It is a danger but that is the same with everything, the glow sed for evil. Their technology is based on a lightsaber with a stronger unbreakable containment shell. If it was opened and exposed you have a dangerous unstablle limited use lightsaber." She looked at her before going over the information of the reactors and the sleg how it was using the energy harvested from the small sun of the ships reactor that they were creating. "If we didn't look at things because of the potential for people using it there would only be the jedi on their world avoiding the galaxy and exiling the darksiders."

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel listened and knew that Orihime talked sense. The Jedi were peace-keepers, that much was true. But the Force had a way of balancing itself out. It had done so since time began and would no doubt do so forever more.

“You are right of course. Technology cannot afford to stand still because of the risk that something designed for the greater good gets used for a nefarious purpose. That is not acceptable nor logical. All we can do is keep our own house in order and then push to safeguard the galaxy from those that wish to dominate and oppress. It is an eternal struggle I am sure, but none the less one that we cannot rest on our laurels in our pursuit of success. It is, after all the Jedi way. Plan for success. Plan for failure…but always plan for success first.”

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

Orihime looked at her and Sorel understood it as well as the problems that came with it. Pausing because of fear was just as bad and she rose up walking around the area with a nod of her head. She was leading the way and looking through all of it as the information was coming up on the screen and she wanted to get some more information for the two of them. She was looking at the ship down below and where they had built the equipment to work on harvesting it themselves when she spoke. "Alright, I can see a door down there but I am now seeing where we need to go." She wanted to investigate and maybe they would find something interesting, maybe it would be nothing but you had to try when you were getting a number of other things set in motion. Orihime going to the rest of the room so she could search and finding one of the kaypads as she cracked her knuckles and prepared. Alright her mind was ready and she started going through the different numbers from the beginning for the four number combination.

 

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel was used to the roles. Orihime always took the lead when technology was involved and she invariably kept watch. It played to their respective strengths. Orihime had the tenacity to overcome whatever problem presented itself and Sorel was not easily distracted, so was able to focus on their surroundings – with the aid of the Force of course.

So Orihime set to work on cracking whatever code presented itself to her and Sorel closed her eyes and used Force Sense and then Force Sight to reach out and check there were no unexpected guests. It was not an exact science – droids were hard to spot and certain creatures were able to hide their presence from both the Force and even the more mundane of senses. So Sorel looked not just for what she could see but what she couldn’t – paying attention for any gaps where the Force was not present for example. But for now she could see nothing untoward.

[member="Orihime Ike"]